Pregnancy risks

Pregnancy risky for women born with heart defects (Reuters)

Reuters - Women with congenital heart disease who become pregnant face a heightened risk that their infant may be premature or not survive long, according to a report from the Netherlands.

Decline in breastfeeding linked to child deaths in Asia

Decline in breastfeeding linked to child deaths in Asia: UNICEF (AFP)

AFP - About 160,000 infants die each year in the Asia-Pacific region due to a decline in breastfeeding, a UNICEF expert told a regional conference on Wednesday.

First-born are slightly smarter than younger siblings

To the First-Born Go the Smarts (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- First-born children possess IQs that are 2.3 points higher, on average, than their younger siblings, anew study contends.

Move the train with your brain

Hitachi: Move the train with your brain (AP)

AP - Forget the clicker: A new technology in Japan could let you control electronic devices without lifting a finger simply by reading brain activity.

US circumcision rate drops

U.S. circumcision rate drops (AP)

AP - On the eighth day of her son's life, Julia Query welcomed friends and family to celebrate his birth and honor their Jewish heritage.

Stroke drug may also help with frostbite

Stroke drug may also help with frostbite (AP)

AP - An anti-clotting drug used to treat strokes and heart attacks can also restore blood flow to frostbitten fingers and limbs, greatly reducing the need for amputation, according to a new study.

CNNMoney.com: World's most expensive cities

World's most expensive cities

If your boss wants to transfer you to Moscow this year, he'd better offer you a fair sum to do so - or even a downright handsome one depending on where you live now. That's because Moscow has just been designated the world's most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

Drink and drugs fuel sexual health crisis

Drink and drugs 'fuel sexual health crisis' (AFP)

AFP - Strong links between alcohol, drugs and risky sexual behaviour are providing fuel for a "sexual health crisis" in Britain, a government advisory body report said Friday.

30 percent of Cubans are overweight

30 percent of Cubans are overweight (AP)

AP - Cubans are no strangers to the battle of the bulge. Waistlines have expanded since the economic crisis of the early 1990s eased on the communist-run island — so much so that 30 percent of adults are now overweight, a newly released government study reveals.

Studies say death penalty deters crime

Studies say death penalty deters crime (AP)

AP - Anti-death penalty forces have gained momentum in the past few years, with a moratorium in Illinois, court disputes over lethal injection in more than a half-dozen states and progress toward outright abolishment in New Jersey.

SEAsia battles dengue surge

Southeast Asia battles dengue surge, climate fears (Reuters)

Reuters - Southeast Asian nations are battling a surge in dengue cases, amid signs that climate change could make 2007 the worst year on record for a disease that often gets less attention than some higher-profile health risks.

Poll: Americans believe in both evolution, creationism

Americans believe in both evolution, creationism: poll (AFP)

AFP - Asked their views on whether human life is a result of God's creation or a product of evolution, one quarter of Americans chose both conflicting theories, a poll suggested Friday.

Sense of deja vu

Brain mechanism explains sense of deja vu (Reuters)

Reuters - Most people have had deja vu -- that eerie sense of having experienced something before -- but U.S. researchers have identified the part of the brain responsible for this sensation, and they think it may lead to new treatments for memory-related problems.

Low suicide rates for Americans?

Study: Many Americans Too Fat To Commit Suicide

LOS ANGELES—A disturbing percentage of Americans are too large to ascend a footstool, too inflexible to kick it away, and too heavy to dangle from an ill-fitting rope.

Vitamin D reduces risk of cancer

Study: Vitamin D reduces cancer risk (AP)

AP - Building hope for one pill to prevent many cancers, vitamin D cut the risk of several types of cancer by 60 percent overall for older women in the most rigorous study yet.

Eating frogs and rats to cure tummy upsets?

Eating live frogs, rats "cures tummy upsets" (Reuters)

Reuters - A man in southeast China says 40 years of swallowing tree frogs and rats live has helped him avoid intestinal complaints and made him strong.

Please recycle

FHMOnline.com - FHM Magazine Online

How birth weight affects adult health and success

How birth weight affects adult health and success

Birth weight has significant and lasting effects, a new study finds. Weighing less than 5.5 pounds at birth increases the probability of dropping out of high school by one-third, reduces yearly earnings by about 15 percent and burdens people in their 30s and 40s with the health of someone who is 12 years older.

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Tea can make you thin

China scientists "prove" tea can help fight obesity (Reuters)

Reuters - Chinese scientists have proved it -- tea can help make you thin.

Chickens beat Columbus to America

Study: Chickens beat Columbus to America (AP)

AP - Why did the chicken cross the ocean? To get to America before Columbus — and from the other direction — according to a new report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

New depression Rx

New Depression Rx: Get Married (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - People who are looking to ease depression may have a new treatment option--marriage.

Study backs up warnings over second hand smoke

Study backs up warnings over second hand smoke (Reuters)

Reuters - Even small amounts of secondhand tobacco smoke can damage a child's arteries, researchers reported on Monday, adding to the growing body of evidence on the harmful affects of exposure to smoking.

Omega-3 fatty acids reduce BP

Omega-3 fatty acids reduce blood pressure: study (Reuters)

Reuters - A diet with liberal servings of fish, nuts and seeds rich in nutrients called omega-3 fatty acids can help lower a person's blood pressure, according to a study released on Monday.

Survey on chocolates

Heart-shaped chocolate boxes filled with more chocolates. According ...

(AFP/File) - Heart-shaped chocolate boxes filled with more chocolates. According to a new survey, over half of British women prefer chocolate to sex, saying it can be depended on to give pleasure.(AFP/File/Stan Honda)

Doctors say roller shoes injuring kids

Doctors say roller shoes injuring kids (AP)

AP - Trendy wheeled sneakers that let kids zip down sidewalks, across playgrounds and through mall crowds could also send them rolling into emergency rooms on a stretcher, say doctors who blame a rash of injuries on the international craze.

Only 1 of 5 children survive cancer in poor countries

Only 20 percent of children survive cancer in poor countries (AFP)

AFP - Only 20 percent of children growing in poor countries survive a battle with cancer, despite progress made in recent decades in the fight against the disease in the industrialized world, scientists said.

More entertaining TV, more eating.

Entertaining TV programs make you eat, study finds (Reuters)

Reuters - People eat more when they are glued to the television, and the more entertaining the program, the more they eat, according to research presented on Saturday.

Something to think about

Smoking may damage your sperm, study finds (Reuters)

Reuters - Here's one more reason not to smoke -- smoking may damage sperm, passing along genetic damage to a man's children, Canadian researchers report.

Violent crime rises 1.3 percent in 2006

Violent crime on the rise in the US: report (AFP)

AFP - Violent crime in the United States rose for a second year in a row in 2006, increasing 1.3 percent.

Scientists look into centuries-old supplements to fight cancer

Same old supplements get second look for cancer-fighting potential (AFP)

AFP - Scientists are studying traditional food supplements used for centuries -- from ginseng and flaxseed to shark cartilage -- for possible cancer curing qualities, according to research presented at a major cancer conference here.

Study reveals how body senses cold

Study reveals how body senses cold  (Science blog)

Scientists have identified the receptor in cells of the peripheral nervous system that is most responsible for the body's ability to sense cold. The finding reveals one of the key mechanisms by which the body detects temperature sensation. But in so doing it also illuminates a mechanism that mediates how the body experiences intense stimuli – temperature, in this case – that can cause pain.

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Childhood ailments linked to adult chronic pain

Childhood ailments linked to adult chronic pain (Reuters)

Reuters - Children who suffer from stomach pain, headaches, and vomiting are more likely than their peers who don't report such symptoms to go on to develop chronic widespread pain as adults, UK researchers report.

Apple juice helpful against asthma

Apple juice may help protect kids from asthma (Reuters)

Reuters - Drinking apple juice from concentrate daily may help ward off asthma symptoms in children, a study from the UK hints.

Avoid toothpaste made in China - FDA

Avoid toothpaste made in China, FDA says (AP)

AP - The government warned consumers on Friday to avoid using toothpaste made in China because it may contain a poisonous chemical used in antifreeze.

***Avoid anything Chinese.

One more reason not to smoke

Cigarette smoke alters DNA in sperm

The science has long been clear that smoking causes cancer, but new research shows that children could inherit genetic damage from a father who smokes.

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Price of license to operate taxi cab in NY hits 600k dollars in May

Taxi's are seen on a street in New York in this file photo. ...

(Reuters) - Taxi's are seen on a street in New York in this file photo. The price of a license to operate a New York taxi cab hit a record $600,000 in May, according to a lending company which financed the purchase. (Jeff Christensen/Reuters)